HomeThe ShuffleWith Djokovic’s Exit, Australian Open Belongs to Medvedev

With Djokovic’s Exit, Australian Open Belongs to Medvedev

The Australian Open is underway and with Djokovic out, the field is wide open for others to take the Grand Slam. Topping the men’s list: Daniil Medvedev.

What happened before the Australian Open might provide more drama than the Grand Slam event itself. The off-court saga with world’s No. 1 men’s tennis player, Novak Djokovic, had more twists than a Russian novel.

The Serbian found himself embroiled in a controversy regarding his Covid-19 status. Djokovic, who is not vaccinated, was initially denied entry into Australia. A judge overturned that decision. But another judge upheld it and the star was ordered out of the country.

While that episode played out, Nole’s odds to win his 10th Australian Open fluctuated. Before the controversy, he was the overwhelming favorite to win, at -150. Once his appearance at the event was in peril, he dropped to +140.

Now he’s out, making Daniil Medvedev the favorite to win at +160.

Who else has a chance to win the Grand Slam event? We look at both the men’s and women’s draw and see who could capture their respective singles’ titles. 

Medvedev Ready to Shine

Daniil Medvedev is the No. 2 ranked men’s tennis player. He’s been in Djokovic’s shadow for quite some time, though he’s won a Grand Slam title and defeated Djokovic at last year’s U.S. Open.

At this tournament, the 25-year-old doesn’t have Djokovic in his way. That’s the good news. The bad news is that in five appearances at the Australian Open, Medvedev only made the finals once, in last year’s loss to Djokovic.

But that memory should serve Medvedev well and drive him to victory in this go-round. He’s +160 to win at PointsBet, +140 at Bet 365.


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Don’t Discount Zverev

Alexander Zverev might be poised to break through and win his first Grand Slam. The German had six titles in 2021 and defeated Djokovic and Medvedev in successive rounds of the ATP Finals.

The issue with Zverev is confidence and an inconsistent serve. When he’s on, he’s deadly. When he’s off, he can get quickly bounced out of a match.

Zverev is the second pick at +250, but he’s going to have to quell his nerves to win his first Grand Slam title.


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Nadal Seeking Record

So Djokovic is out, and Roger Federer is recovering from his third knee surgery. That makes Rafael Nadal the lone player with a chance to win a 21st Grand Slam title. That said, the Spaniard’s record in Melbourne is spotty.

At +550 to win, Nadal has only won once at the Australian Open, way back in 2009. Since that victory, he’s reached the finals four times. but lost on every occasion.

Nadal has gotten to the quarterfinals the last two years, but there’s a question about how healed his injured foot is, though he told reporters he’s ready to play.

Barty Eyes Hometown Slam

The No. 1 player in action at the Australian Open is Ashleigh Barty, and no tournament means more to her. The 25-year-old Australian is the +275 favorite to win.

If she does, it would be her third Grand Slam title, with the 2019 French Open and the 2021 Wimbledon championships already on her resume. But this is the one she covets.

“I just have to hope that everyone understands that I’m giving it my best crack,” Barty told reporters. “It doesn’t always work out exactly how you want to. But you go about it the right way, you do the right things, and try and give yourself the best chance.”

Not only will Barty face a lot of pressure, she also has a horrible draw. She could potentially face two-time Australian Open champion Naomi Osaka in the fourth round, fifth seed Maria Sakkari in the quarter-finals, and three-time grand slam champion Barbora Krejcikova in the semifinals.

If she wins the Australian Open, Barty will have truly earned it.


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Osaka Back in Form at Australian Open

Naomi Osaka had a rough 2021, facing upsets and then revealing struggles with her mental health. She stepped away from the game and she said it was the best thing she could have done.

Now she returns to defend her Australian Open title, and with all the pre-tournament attention on Djokovic, has been able to avoid the media spotlight. That’s a break in her favor.

Osaka excels on the hard court, with all four of her Grand Slam titles won on that surface. She also has great value at +700.


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Muguruza a Good Upset Pick

Your best underdog pick would be Garbine Muguruza. The Spaniard is at +1400 to win.

There’s risk with any player with long odds, and Muguruza has plenty. First, she’s never won this event and only reached the finals once. Second, she was stunned by Daria Kasatkina in the second round of the Sydney International. That event is considered a tuneup for the Australian Open.

Finally, she may have to face Barty and is 1-4 against her, including losing the last three.


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2022 MEN’S AUSTRALIAN OPEN ODDS*

ODDS TO WIN 2022 MEN’S AUSTRALIAN OPEN
Player Odds
Daniil Medvedev +140
Alexander Zverev +240
Rafael Nadal +600
Jannik Sinner +1800
Stefanos Tsitsipas +2000
Carlos Alcaraz +3300
Matteo Berrettini +3300
Andrey Rublev +4000
Aslan Karatsev +4000
Felix Auger Aliassime +5000
Hubert Hurkacz +6600
Cam Norrie +6600
Denis Shapovalov +6600
Casper Ruud +6600
Karen Khachanov +6600
Gael Monfils +6600
Sebastian Korda +8000
Andy Murray +8000
Reilly Opelka +10000
Marin Cilic +10000
Roberto Bautista-Agut +10000
Nick Kyrgios +10000
Diego Schwartzman +12500
Daniel Evans +15000
Pablo Carreno Busta +15000
Tommy Paul +15000
Grigor Dimitrov +15000
Pedro Martinez +15000
Lloyd Harris +15000
Cristain Garin +15000
Frances Tiafoe +20000
Brandon Nakashima +20000
Lorenzo Sonego +20000
Miomir Kecmanovic +20000
Philipp Kohlschreiber +20000
Thanasi Kokkinakis +20000
Alex De Minaur +20000
Taylor Fritz +20000
Ugo Humbert +20000
Botic Van De Zandschulp +25000
Jiri Vesely +25000
Jan-Lennard Struff +25000
Tomas Machac +25000
Maxime Cressy +25000
Thiago Monteiro +25000
Alexei Popyrin +25000
John Isner +25000
Ilya Ivashka +25000
James Duckworth +25000
Arthur Rinderknech +30000
John Millman +30000
Alejandro Davidovich Fokina +30000
Marton Fucsovics +30000
Nikoloz Basilashvili +35000
Lorenzo Musetti +45000
Ben Bonzi +45000
Tallon Griekspoor +45000
Salvatore Caruso +50000
Marco Trungelliti +50000
Alejandro Tabilo +50000
Nikola Milojevic +50000
Timofey Skatov +50000
Joao Sousa +50000
Maximilian Marterer +50000
Jiri Lehecka +50000
Mikhail Kukushkin +50000
Taro Daniel +50000
Norbert Gombos +50000
Emilo Gomez +50000
Ernesto Escobedo +50000
Yannick Hanfmann +50000
Tomas Martin Etcheverry +50000
Liam Broady +50000
Mikael Ymer +50000
Marcelo Tomas Barrios Vera +50000
Radu Albot +50000
Chun Hsin Tseng +50000
Aleksandar Vukic +50000
Jordan Thompson +50000
Stefano Travaglia +50000
Andreas Seppi +50000
Holger Rune +50000
Emil Ruusuvuori +50000
Carlos Taberner +50000
Lucas Pouille +50000
Sam Querrey +50000
Albert Ramos Vinolas +50000
Benoit Paire +50000
Oscar Otte +50000
Christopher O’Connell +50000
Alex Molcan +50000
Adrian Mannarino +50000
Jaume Munar +50000
Kamil Majchrzak +50000
Dusan Lajovic +50000
Denis Kudla +50000
Gianluca Mager +50000
Feliciano Lopez +50000
Soonwoo Kwon +50000
Stefan Kozlov +50000
Peter Gojowczyk +50000
Steve Johnson +50000
Filip Krajinovic +50000
Dominik Koepfer +50000
David Goffin +50000
Hugo Gaston +50000
Laslo Djere +50000
Marcos Giron +50000
Richard Gasquet +50000
Fabio Fognini +50000
Egor Gerasimov +50000
Federico Coria +50000
Roberto Carballes Baena +50000
Federico Delbonis +50000
Juan Manuel Cerundolo +50000
Alexander Bublik +50000
Facundo Bagnis +50000
Alex Bolt +50000
Marco Cecchinato +50000
Ricardas Bernakis +50000
Pablo Andujar +50000
Sebastian Baez +50000
Kevin Anderson +50000
Daniel Altmaier +50000

2022 WOMEN’S AUSTRALIAN OPEN ODDS*

ODDS TO WIN 2022 WOMEN’S AUSTRALIAN OPEN
Player Odds
Ashleigh Barty +300
Naomi Osaka +650
Garbine Muguruza +1200
Iga Swiatek +1200
Anett Kontaveit +1400
Simona Halep +1400
Paula Badosa +1600
Barbora Krejcikova +2000
Elena Rybakina +2000
Cori Gauff +2500
Aryna Sabalenka +2500
Maria Sakkari +3300
Victoria Azarenka +3300
Leylah Fernandez +4000
Ons Jabeur +4000
Emma Raducanu +4000
Petra Kvitova +4000
Daria Kastakina +4000
Amanda Anisimova +5000
Angelique Kerber +5000
Madison Keys +5000
Clara Tauson +6600
Belinda Bencic +6600
Danielle Collins +6600
Marketa Vondrousova +6600
Jessica Pegula +8000
Veronika Kudermetova +8000
Elina Svitolina +8000
Sloane Stephens +8000
Elise Mertens +10000
Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova +10000
Ekaterina Alexandrova +12500
Liudmila Samsonova +12500
Jelena Ostapenko +12500
Sofia Kenin +15000
Marta Kostyuk +15000
Alison Riske +15000
Anni Li +20000
Camila Giorgi +20000
Dayana Yastremska +20000
Yulia Putintseva +20000
Jil Teichmann +20000
Donna Vekic +20000
Sara Sorribes Tormo +20000
Anastasija Sevastova +20000
Shelby Rogers +25000
Alison Van Uytvanck +25000
Tamara Zidansek +25000
Irina Camelia Begu +30000
Sorana Cirstea +30000
Caroline Garcia +30000
Viktoria Kuzmova +30000
Anastasia Potapova +30000
Ana Konjuh +30000
Rebecca Peterson +35000
Aliaksandra Sasnovich +35000
Alize Cornet +40000
Jasmine Paolini +40000
Viktorija Golubic +40000
Kaja Juvan +45000
Marie Bouzkova +50000
Anna Bondar +50000
Lauren Davis +50000
Robin Anderson +50000
Zarina Diyas +50000
Clara Burel +50000
Jaqueline Cristian +50000
Oceane Dodin +50000
Fiona Ferro +50000
Madison Brengle +50000
Misaki Doi +50000
Kirsten Flipkens +50000
Beatriz Haddad Maia +50000
Varvara Gracheva +50000
Magdalena Frech +50000
Priscilla Hon +50000
Kaia Kanepi +50000
Magda Linette +50000
Maddison Inglis +50000
Anhelina Kalinina +50000
Kristina Kucova +50000
Greet Minnen +50000
Claire Liu +50000
Kiki Mladenovic +50000
Petra Martic +50000
Tereza Martincova +50000
Tajana Maria +50000
Nuria Parrizas Diaz +50000
Maria Camila Osorio +50000
Bernard Pera +50000
Arantxa Rus +50000
Diane Parry +50000
Andrea Petkovic +50000
Storm Sanders +50000
Elena Gabriela Ruse +50000
Anna Karolina Schmiedlova +50000
Xinyu Wang +50000
Harmony Tan +50000
Daria Saville +50000
Astra Sharma +50000
Sam Stosur +50000
Qinwen Zheng +50000
Harriet Dart +50000
Emina Bektas +50000
Heather Watson +50000
Mayar Sherif +50000
Hailey Baptiste +50000
Stefanie Voegele +50000
Lesya Tsurenko +50000
Rebecca Marino +50000
Su Jeong Jang +50000
Katie Volynets +50000
Caroline Dolehide +50000
Vera Zvonareva +50000
Xiyu Wang +50000
Panna Udvardy +50000
Arianne Hartono +50000
Crustuba Bucsa +50000
Lucia Bronzettu +50000
Maryna Zanevska +50000
Sasai Zheng +50000
Martina Trevisan +50000
Viktoriya Tomova +50000
Shuai Zheng +50000

*Odds courtesy of Bet365. Subject to change

 

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